First casualty in bicycle-sharing program

Citi Bike debuted Monday in Manhattan and Brooklyn to great fanfare.Associated Press

NEW YORK -- A rider has been struck by a SUV just three days after officials launched the nation's largest bike-sharing program.

A police report says a New Yorker in his mid-20s was riding the new blue, Citi Bike bicycle south on MacDougal St. at Houston St. in the city's West Village neighborhood when the accident occurred Thursday afternoon.

The report says the cyclist was trying to beat the light when he was struck by a livery driver in an SUV, who had the green light. The rider was launched over the hood, hitting the windshield. He suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

The Department of Transportation did not immediately return requests for comment.

According to city data, there were 369 severe injuries for bicyclists reported in 2011 in New York City, with 22 fatalities.